Our Original Announcement: January 22, 2015

FIRST – I resigned my call at CrossPoint. I do not currently have another call to an Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod congregation.

SECOND – God is so very, very good to us. Jamie and I, and now our kids, have spent much time in prayer and searching His Word. We have spent time in deep conversation and prayer with trusted friends who also believe in and follow Jesus. God has showered us with great grace and is inviting us into a new journey of faith (more about this below).

THIRD – Jesus has dramatically changed our lives and hearts because of our time in Katy and at CrossPoint with some of the most amazing people we have ever met! He has torn down some long-standing idols in our lives and He used many of you to lovingly, but firmly, do this. For your companionship in the Gospel, we will be forever grateful.

FOURTH – Please keep CrossPoint…the pastors, staff, leaders, members, and the community of Katy in your prayers. You might be tempted to connect all kinds of dots to make “sense” of this, but I would encourage you to something better: trust God, who loves His church with an unquenchable love, to continue to pursue His people with His gifts of repentance, forgiveness and resurrection life. Secondly, trust the people He has put in leadership (staff and the Board). Talk to them if you need to.

DETAILS – Well…what can I say? Jesus has been inviting us over the past four years to more-and-more let go of our plans about the future, and to learn to trust Him in a daily sense. This has not been easy, because I like MY plans. So “details” and “plans” are less and less a part of our vocabulary (at least on this part of our journey). At this point, Jamie and I are convinced that God is calling us to a period of about 6-12 months of waiting on Him. During this time, we believe that He will work a new kind of faith in our hearts to trust Him for all our provisions – spiritual, emotional, physical. We also believe that in this “school of trust,” He will reveal to us what our next calling will be. During these months we will travel to be with trusted family and friends to be in prayer and the Word together, letting God lead us to the next chapter of our lives. For some it will seem that we have lost our minds – but I assure you, if we have, it is for Jesus and His Gospel that we have. We trust that God is faithful and will lead us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

For this reason, we are selling our home in Katy and either giving away or selling most of our possessions (check out Luke 12 if you want to see a little bit about what God has been doing in us). We don’t believe that God calls everyone to take such drastic action, but He is calling us. We will live off of the proceeds of the sale of our home, the generosity of friends and family, and picking up some work here and there over the 6-12 months. We are ok – in fact better than ok. We are excited like children on Christmas morning…but with some significant fear mixed in every now and then.

I have asked to remain rostered within the Texas District of the LC-MS as an ordained pastor, but I am not currently looking to entertain a Call immediately. First, we will allow Jesus some time to refresh us as a family and to work in our hearts and minds for what is next.

FINALLY – So many of you are so precious to us – gifts from God in our lives. Please keep us in your prayers. Pray that God would give us eyes to see Him and hearts to trust Him. Pray that He would make us courageous to follow Him wherever He leads us (like Abraham and the disciples). Don’t worry about us. It won’t do you or us a bit of good! Instead, be excited with us…and if we show up in your driveway sometime in the next year, welcome us in!